Do you like to read? Have you ever stayed up waaaayyy to late reading? Then this is the spot for you. This is the spot for the eclectic book reader. I love all kinds of books, in any format. I can't wait to share my love of books with you.

Max West is a widower raising Phoebe, his four-year-old daughter.
Phoebe has to live with the fact that the day she was born is also the day of
her mother’s death. As her fifth year without her mother approaches, Phoebe
finds solace in her godmother, Amy Riley, and her daughter, Grace Crawford,
another single parent family.

Amy Riley is a successful fashion designer who spends most of her
days raising her four-year-old daughter, Grace, while her wayward boyfriend is
travelling the world making the next best film. As the fifth year without her best
friend looms she finds comfort in her ex-boyfriend, Max, and his daughter,
Phoebe.These two “broken” families have a tough week to face as the dreaded day
approaches.

However through their past, present and debatable future will
their choices affect the outcome both parents clearly want and are simply
denying? Or will Phoebe and Grace lose the only “whole” family they have ever
known?

Book Excerpt

“Amy,”
Max warned, “You’re not going to just take pictures.”

He
chuckled as he stood behind Amy, who was trying to figure out the new camera.
Grace and Phoebe were posed perfectly on the sofa like little angels, big
smiles showing rows of shiny white teeth, with the odd one or two missing. “You
see,” he showed her. “There's this new, fancy thing called a timer. This means
that all of us can be in the picture, including you.”

She
playfully swatted him, as he jumped back, “Oh zip it.” She laughed, “I look a
mess. Anyway I want a picture of you three for my desk, not me.”

Grace
sat up as she swung her little legs off the edge of the sofa, her feet not even
scraping the floor. “Come on, Mommy! Pwease?” She was missing her two front
teeth and therefore she couldn’t pronounce her L’s properly. Amy thought it
sounded so cute and secretly hoped that they’d never grow back.

How
could she possibly say no to her little darling? She watched as Grace began to
pout and bat her big, grey eyes at her. It was her infamous look that could
make anyone fall for her, including her mother and her Uncle Max.

“No,
not the pout,” she joked. “Anything but that, Gracie you know I can’t resist
that cute little pout of yours.”

Once
Max finished setting the timer, he curled his fingers around Amy's pale bangle
covered wrist and pulled her towards the girls and the sofa. As they both sat
down, on either side of the girls, he leaned over the girls’ heads to whisper,
“I taught her that pout.”

“Yes,
I know,” she replied. “Because that’s how you got Anna to fall for you.” She
was about to laugh when she realized what she’d said. There was a moment of
silence as both contemplated the loss of Anna. “Sorry,” she whispered to him.
“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s
fine,” he whispered back, before he could say anymore Phoebe crawled onto his
lap. He smiled and saw the splitting image of his deceased wife staring back at
him. He didn’t mind that Anna was gone, because she’d left him the most
precious of gift. Amy smiled as she lifted Grace onto her lap. Both parents
shuffled closer together as a unit.

“How
long do we have, Daddy?” Phoebe asked, as she snuggled into her father’s chest.

For a
moment, Amy remembered Anna again. They’d both been only eight years old when
they’d sat and posed for a different camera. Amy still had that picture on her
bedside drawer, next to one of Phoebe and Grace as babies. 'Smile real big,'
Anna had said as she’d tilted her head against Amy’s to become one.

The
smile on Amy's face wasn’t a sad one anymore. She was fortunate that she could
feel Anna’s presence, through her charming daughter.

As
she looked at the camera, she hadn’t realized that Max had put his free arm
around her waist, pulling them closer. The camera started to blink, indicating
to be ready. “Ready?” she asked them. “On the count of three, okay? One…Two…”

“Three,”
they all said together, smiling big for the camera, to produce the perfect
family photo, to anyone who didn’t know them.

Author
Information:

Born and raised in London, England, Naya Nikki is a
student who’s spent most of her life taming her creative streak through
writing short stories. She’s signed her first contract with InkSpell
Publishing to publish her first book “Familiar Ties.” The story follows the
journey of two single parents whose daughters want nothing more than for them
to become a happy family.

She is currently earning a degree in English with a
minor in Creative Writing that will allow her to build her writing career.
When she isn’t at the university, Naya loves nothing more than spending time
with her parents and grandparents as well as meeting her friends for gossip
sessions over some hot coco.

Initially
I thought this story was just a “typical” romance.The story plot is that two friends both have
little girls very close in age.Max lost
his wife when his daughter was born.Anna, the deceased wife, was the best friend of Amy, Max’s neighbor and
friend.They are godparents to each
other’s children and the kids spend every day together.The father of Amy’s child is an actor who is
always working and is gone for months or years at a time.Max and Amy are falling for each other, and from
there you get your “typical” romance.However, in Familiar Ties the author takes the story one step
further.Neither wants to admit to being
in love, Amy moves in with the father of her daughter in a different town, and
many other twists and turns.However,
true love always wins in the end.

In Familiar
Ties you have a story that is more complex than expected.The characters are fully developed, not just
the main characters but the side characters as well.You really come to feel as though you are part
of this group of people and can feel their struggles over everyday and more
momentous events.I was drawn to the
characters in this book for their flaws, as well as their strengths.I loved the relationship the little girls
have with each other and with Amy and Max.The supporting players brought a lot of extra information and often
humor.I was impressed with how much I
genuinely liked these people and wanted things to work out for them, and how
much I wanted to slap Jack (but you’ll have to find that out for yourself).

I give
this 4 out of 5 clouds.An excellent
read for the beach, pool, or anytime you need a good read.

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Do you like to read? Have you ever stayed up waaaayyy to late reading? Then this is the spot for you. Join me as I review books, link to other fabulous book sites, and please respond with your comments as well. This is the spot for the eclectic book reader. I love all kinds of books, in any format (book, e-book, chapters in a magazine... heck I even read the back of the cereal box every time). I can't wait to share my love of books with you and see what has captured your attention as well.